Who we are:
ICAM is the international forum for professionals working in architecture museums, centres, libraries, and archives. Our activities provide members with opportunities to network, share expertise and research, and engage with the broad cultural and social issues driving cutting edge work on architecture, past and present.
We work to foster robust connections at global, national, and local levels. Regional ICAM chapters support professional collaboration and exchange in many regions of the globe, while our international network is amplified through affiliations with the International Council of Museums (ICOM) and the International Council on Archives (ICA).
- Preserve the architectural record and make it accessible
- Raise the quality and protection of the built environment
- Foster the study of architectural history in the interest of future practice
- Stimulate the public appreciation of architecture
- Promote the exchange of information and professional expertise
Activities:
ICAM’s premiere event is a biennial, multi-day conference bringing together architectural experts from around the world. Sessions offer opportunities to discuss urgent issues in the field, and to learn about new initiatives in archival and curatorial practice. The conference is staged in different cities across the globe, providing memorable local experiences and expert-led tours of world-class architecture and collections.
Throughout the year, members connect through virtual symposia and lectures, member communications and news, as well as local events organised by ICAM regional chapters.
History:
ICAM was founded in 1979 as a response to the emergence of architecture museums as independent institutions in the second half of the twentieth century. Over more than four decades, ICAM has connected professionionals in the field, supported important scholarship, and led conversations that have helped propel a vast expansion of public interest in the history of architecture and the built environment.
Born from a desire to unite professionals in Eastern and Western Europe at the end of the Cold War, ICAM’s mission soon expanded to represent global perspectives on architecture, with biennial meetings held around the world, including in Brazil, Canada, Finland, Spain, and Slovenia. Today, ICAM serves an increasingly diverse body of member organisations, including large and small museums, city architecture centres, universities, archives, and libraries.
Leadership:
ICAM’s governing body is composed of an Executive Committee currently representing a wide variety of architecture organisations spanning Europe, North America, and Asia. The Executive Committee is currently chaired by Rebecca Bailey of Historic Environment Scotland.
